As head coach of the Lady Lions soccer team since 1998, Blake Honrnbuckle leads one of the most successful soccer programs in the state. This past season Hornbuckle and his ladies finished the season 15-3-3 as the Southland Conference (SLC) regular season champs and landing a trip to the post-season tournament championship match, while Hornbuckle earned his third SLC Coach of the Year award.

The 15 wins posted by the Lady Lions match a school record for wins as Hornbuckle led the Lions to 15 wins in 2003. Since his arrival in 98′ Hornbuckle has led the Lions to eight SLC tournament championship match appearances.

Last Friday Hornbuckle took time out of his busy schedule  to share his thoughts with The Lion’s Roar on what has made him such a successful and consistent coach, his thoughts on this past season, what he enjoys most about the sport and how he spends his time outside the sport of soccer.

The Loins Roar: Where does the journey begin for you as a coach?

 Hornbuckle: It usually begins at the end of each season; when your seasons completed you begin preparing for the next season.

Were you always a soccer fan growing up?

I sure was, I started playing when I was about five and it just took over and consumed every aspect of my life and here we are years later.

So how did you get involved with soccer?

Well my parents put me in the YMCA League when we lived in Atlanta and I just really enjoyed it from that point forward.

Have you ever played any other sports?

Yeah I played some other sports growing up, some street hockey, some martial arts, some football, and tennis as a younger kid, and when I made about 11 or 12 soccer took over.

So what led you to Southeastern?

It was just an opportunity. I was over in Charleston, N.C. actually on the men’s side and I really enjoyed my time there, and a few people put my name forward for the head coaching position here without me really knowing so I called out of courtesy and about 10 days later here I am.

Has it been everything you hoped for here?

Well you never know when you’re in a new environment, ‘what’s going to take place?’ The grass is not always greener when people are searching for things throughout life.

So how does it feel to be SLC coach of the year again?

Well I think it’s a nice honor but it’s really the fabric and body of work from the entire program. It’s kind of like being the president. There’s one president but the president doesn’t do everything within the U. S.

Obviously you’ve been very successful here so how do you stay consistent?

We just try to do things that help us be successful, go back to the ‘30s and ‘40s literally about what are attributes that help people be successful. Communication and ability to execute those are key interests that have not changed overtime and probably won’t. Those are old school values that remain ingrained in everyday society.

So how have the girls handled the success?

They have done very well. They understand that this is what they set out to do, and we realistically don’t sit down every year an go, ‘ok this year we are going to win the conference and this amount of games.’ We just put our best foot forward, and sometimes you can box yourself in with too extreme of a goal.

What are your thoughts on Lacey Bockhaus the player of the year?

We’re extremely happy for Lacey, Lacey works hard every day, it really a testament to her abilities and fortunately she has another year with us so. The team gives her the ability to shine.

What does she bring to this team?

She brings a lot of passion, a lot of athletic abilities, some intangibles, with intuition and talent overall because there not a lot of keepers that have her total package.

In your opinion does she have what it takes to play on the next level?

She does. She may need some more individual work as she reaches higher levels. That’s what it take to get players through.

You had three girls with all-tournament honors, who would you say is the most underrated player on the team?

There are a lot that are underrated. Everytime during the conference voting process there is someone left out that’s probably worthy.

Who is the character on this team that keeps everyone laughing?

Lacey is definitely a character, Dana Songe is a character. We have a fun group of girls too and that’s what a makes it enjoyable. If you don’t have the right chemistry on your team things can potentially become hazardous for your team, but those are two girls that come to mind.

When you’re not busy with soccer how do you spend your time?

You know, I like to spend time with my family. I like to try to decompress because it is a compressed time frame during the season. I like to play with our kids in the backyard or at the park and music; music is a big portion too.

If it wasn’t a soccer coach what career choice would it be?

I might be something in the financial market or some type of operations director because my skills are based with organization and business. A lot of my degrees are based on those interests.

Are there any pregame rituals you participate in?

I think soccer is actually a very ritualistic sport. When you win you try and wear the same shirt that next game or same socks and student athletes do the same thing. They’ll put their shin guards on a certain way or tie their shoes a certain way. We base it on uniform colors sometimes; if we win four games straight in all white we’re not going to change.

What are your thoughts on this past season?

We’re very pleased that we were able to do some positive things with what’s happened in the state. The past three or four years it’s been difficult on a lot of people and were glad to succeed and proud to represent the university.

What game would you say was that signature win that let you know this team could be special?

I think each of them. I think each game provides its own dynamic I would say the turning point was when we hit conference play and won seven straight.

What do you enjoy most about the sport?

I really enjoy the communication with the student athletes because that’s where the magic really happens. It is fun to watch them execute on the field with the abilities they have. It’s really fun to watch.

So what’s next for the Lady Lions Soccer?

We’re just going to get back to business next week, give them this week to decompress, get everything organized and taken care of. The life of a student athletes is difficult at times. They have to multitask and really keep their heads on a swivel and deal with everything that goes on around here.